PORT TOWNSEND — Local artist Michael Hale hopes to use his most recent painting to benefit his neighborhood.
Hale just finished a bird’s eye rendering of the uptown district of Port Townsend — a task he has wanted to complete since 2000.
“I always wanted to do a definitive painting of what uptown would look like from the sky,” said Hale, who lives and works in an apartment above a coffee shop in the uptown district.
“I’ve done stuff of downtown, but never uptown.”
When he decided to begin working on the painting, he simply took a walk around his block.
“I walked around and took pictures,” he said.
“I stood on top of a few buildings and tried to figure out what it would look like from the sky.”
The district is a short span of shops and eateries with its heart at the corner of Lawrence and Tyler streets.
And while it plays host to many parades and the local farmer’s market — both events are pictured in the uptown poster — Hale said he feels the district doesn’t get the publicity it deserves.
So while he is selling the poster prints at $30 each, Hale is taking $5 from each transaction and creating an uptown marketing fund.
Marketing fund
Hale said the marketing idea is relatively new, but he is working with vendors to see what ideas they can come up with.
Suzy Carroll, owner of Uptown Nutrition, said she is helping Hale with the project.
“Michael came up with the idea to create the fund,” Carroll said. “He’s passionate about keeping uptown vital.
“What that marketing fund will do, I don’t know yet, but we are working on it.”
Carroll and Hale both said they would like to see some type of increased signage or advertising throughout town that would promote uptown — “to remind people we are here,” Carroll said.
“I’d like to sell 100 posters, and then that’s $500 to advertise with.”
Hale said he believes it’s important for the community to start advertising uptown — “especially now with the economy and the bridge closure.
“I thoroughly enjoy living here, and I’d like to do something to help.
“I’d like to make money too, obviously, but it’d be nice to get the image and the message out there for uptown.”
Hale, 61, said he’s fallen in love with the location and plans to never leave the area.
And while some of his work is in a Los Angeles gallery, he said he is happier to put up paintings at the Water Street Brewing & Ale House.
“I do everything a little bit differently,” Hale said.
As an artist, Hale does everything from architectural illustrations to fantasy pages for a children’s book about the lost city of Atlantis.
But now he is hoping to get into marketing as well — a venture he admits is new to him.
“I’ve never done anything like it before,” Hale said.
“But I plan to work with the businesses and get this going through the summer.”
Posters are available at Uptown Nutrition, 1002 Lawrence St., and Uptown Printery, 631 Tyler St.
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Jefferson County reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
